Govinda Naam Mera director Shashank Khaitan reveals why Vicky Kaushal replaced Varun Dhawan in his film

Starring Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani, and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles, Govinda Naam Mera is set for its streaming release on December 16 on Disney+ Hotstar. In a recent interview, its director Shashank Khaitan revealed that Varun Dhawan was initially cast as the titular character in the comedy entertainer.

Talking to indianexpress.com, Shashank shared why Varun opted out of the film as he told the portal, "Nothing went wrong. After the lockdown, we all were trying to redesign our careers and figure what we want to do. I also feel that with Varun and me, the pressure is very high when it comes to our collaboration."

Shashank directed the Bhediya star in his first two films titled Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania in 2014 and Badrinath Ki Dulhania in 2017, which starred Alia Bhatt as the leading lady. Both movies, produced by Karan Johar, received critical and commercial acclaim from critics and audiences.

Though the filmmaker also added that while writing Govinda Naam Mera, he always had Vicky Kaushal in his mind, as he continued, "In a very funny way, this film, when I had written it for the very first time, I had Vicky Kushal in mind. But at the time Vicky was shooting multiple films."

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Since the titular character Govinda Waghmere in the upcoming film is a choreographer, Shashank stated, "I know Vicky. Vicky dances. I have seen him dance at every party and he does not leave the dance floor. I’ve also always known that he has a great sense of humour. I’ve always known that he is also a great comic actor as well. Maybe destiny had it that we collaborate on this film and I’m sure Varun and I’ll do something together very soon. We are always talking about it."

It was in January 2020 when Shashank announced a film with Varun titled Mr. Lele with its release date as January 1, 2021. It is being reported that the same script has been renamed and shot as Govinda Naam Mera.